Clause 6 - Making of order
Proceeds of Crime Bill
2:30 pm
Mr Dominic Grieve (Beaconsfield, Conservative)
The Minister answered his own question—or at least part of it—as he read out the history of how such a power has developed. As he spoke about earlier legislation, it became clear that confiscation followed upon conviction. There was no need to make assumptions. I refer to a person who had just been convicted of a drug trafficking offence, when the assets that had been identified during the hearing as relating to that offence were seized. Does not the Minister realise the difference between that and what is being set up under the Bill—a system for the generalised seizure of assets, including those that may be unrelated to the criminal offence that has been committed? That is why—I repeat myself—judicial discretion might be valuable in such a case. We see the wider scope of the provisions that we will establish. I would not have a dispute with the Minister if the powers focussed on a specific offence. I concede that there is a reference to circumstances in the Bill—